Another Contract

Gwen was happily examining the very first Holy Artifact that she managed to acquire on her own. Although it wasn't earned through proper means, it was still something that was wholly hers. The shining glint of the dagger's edge showed just how sharp it truly was. Gwen's curiosity got the better of her judgment as she poked the sharp edge of her dagger with her finger.

"Yep, that stings. Ouch. No. 12, can you heal me… please?" Gwen showed No. 12 a thin line on her otherwise flawless finger. No. 12 sighed and forcefully thought to herself that she was Nio's daughter.

"I'll do it." Felix held up Gwen's hand and muttered, "Heal."

Green particles of light started forming from within his grasp, mending Gwen's cut. Blood that had escaped her finger didn't recede back into her body, staying outside as a reminder of the injury.

"Thanks, Felix. A child's more helpful than an Archmage, what has this world come to…" Gwen intentionally raised her voice, angering No. 12. This was the only thing that she could do in retaliation as No. 12 was leagues way more powerful than she was. She was even stronger than Rachel but not for long as Rachel's growth was just as exponential as every other child of the Aria family.

"Lady Gwendolyn, you should watch your manners. It's unbecoming of you, just because I took away your Death Artifact doesn't mean that you should act this way. Besides, you're here to have fun, not to… what are you doing?" No. 12 noticed that Gwen was fiddling with the dagger again.

"Ouch, it's bleeding again. Felix, can you heal me again? I would heal myself but someone, not naming any names, but someone took away my Death Artifact so I can't do it." Gwen was staring directly at No. 12 the entire time she said this. Felix appeased the girl before her and his expression suddenly changed from calm to joyful.

Felix laughed out loud and rustled Gwen's hair, turning it into a mess. "You never change, do you Gwen?" Something transpired that made Felix come to enjoy Gwen's personality even more.

"Hey, stop it! I may not be able to beat you right now but mark my words, I'll have you on the floor begging for mercy, you hear me? Mercy!"

"Lady Gwendolyn, stop hurting yourself! I get that you're angry but there's no need for you to have a Death Artifact in your possession when I'm here. Besides, as I said, you're here to have fun, not to explore some abandoned ruin."

"Eh?" Gwen gave No. 12 a confused look.

"Ah?" No. 12 responded in kind.

"Wait, but the whole point was to explore some ruins though? Me and Felix already made plans after we stay in Jiana Kingdom for a month."

"That's not… Sir Felix? Is this true?"

Felix awkwardly smiled, "I knew this was bound to happen, so we struck a deal. We'll do what I want, then we'll do what she wants. It's only fair."

"A deal? When did you… don't tell me… show me that dagger, Lady Gwendolyn."

"Uh oh, busted, hehe." Gwen's dagger was forcefully taken out of her hands as No. 12 examined the edge of the dagger where it there laid a razor-sharp line. Looking at the droplets, No. 12 saw intricately formed runes made from Gwen's blood. She annoyingly glared at Gwen's childish expression and looked back at Felix.

Gwen used the Glimmering Dagger's power to form a Tier 4 Contract spell with Felix. She sneakily did so the second time Felix healed her, causing him to suddenly act out.

Felix looked away, feeling pressured by an entity that was one of the peaks of the world, "Miss No. 12, may I ask what you want from me?"

"Spill it, Sir Felix. What's the cost?"

"I can't say, it breaches the contract. Gwen's really creative when it comes to stuff like this. So, are we free to explore? I'm just saying this out of courtesy of course, whether you agree or not won't stop Gwen from finding a way to get to those ruins."

"I'm really going beyond my boundaries here, if Lord Nio finds out he'll kill me. Hmm… Damn it! Fine, go explore those ruins but I won't tag along nor will I give you back your Death Artifact. Let's see you suffer in those ruins."

"She's going to trail us from behind," Gwen yawned as she said this as if she already predicted the future course of events.

"As sharp as ever, Gwen."

"No…" No. 12's voice weakened as she said this, as she was completely outwitted by a girl less than half her age.

Both Gwen and Felix laughed out loud, making No. 12 feel even worse than she already was. Despite her desperately wanting Gwen to just let her have fun in Jiana Kingdom, Gwen just couldn't resist finding out more about the world, as if she was possessed by a fanatic.

Even during practice when slowly changing one aspect of a spell to see how it changes the entirety of how the spell reacts, Gwen had never shown a bored look on her face as she was completely enthralled by magic itself. The beauty and complexity of magic were too alluring for her who had grown up without magic in her life.

No. 12 felt completely defeated, she just held one small semblance of hope, "Lady Gwendolyn, can you promise me one thing at least?"

Gwen could sense the seriousness in her tone this time, "Hmm? What is it? I'll hear you out if you give me back my Death Artifact."

"I can't do that. Instead, I'll turn a blind eye to what you'll do in Jiana Kingdom. Whatever happens here won't reach Nio's eyes or ears. How about it?"

Gwen thought for a brief moment, "That's… actually a tempting offer. What do you want from me then? If it's about giving you a raise, you fully know well that Sister Rachel handles that department. Oh, and don't even think about making me give up on using magic."

"It's not that. It's just that during your stay in Jiana Kingdom, you can't exceed Tier 4. Can you promise me that?"

"Oh, just that? No problem."

"Huh? That easy? What about your-"

Gwen waved her hand in front of her, "I'm still in the beginning stage of Tier 2. I'm the furthest person from making a breakthrough."

No. 12 looked at Felix's reaction to this, "Miss No. 12, it hurts me more than you think."

Felix looked at Gwen's dark runic pupils that only had a slight shimmer of a radiant rainbow around them. Gwen had only siphoned a fraction of Felix's talent, she still had a long way to go before falling for him, though it might take her years to properly be seduced by him.